Archives: Grants (page 15)

The John Howard Society of Simcoe & Muskoka will expand its digital access to justice program to rural and remote communities in Simcoe & Muskoka: Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Midland, Penetanguishene, and Collingwood/ Wasaga. The rotating, weekly clinics will offer support for disclosure requests, digital access to court appearances, connection to legal and duty counsel, and record suspension applications. Benefiting vulnerable and disproportionally criminalized populations within rural and remote communities, the objective of this project is to support participation in the justice system and to reduce discrimination and criminalization.

The Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation will work with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities to set up Starlink systems in 29 communities so they may access remote fly-in court. Travel distances and unreliable internet connections across NAN territory prevent matters before the courts from progressing in a timely manner. By setting up reliable internet and virtual courts, the objective of this project is to increase access to and timeliness of court proceedings, benefiting the individuals involved and the justice system broadly. The project will also develop and provide legal education workshops, materials, and presentations across the communities.

Sisters in Sync will partner with KnowledgeFlow Cyber Security Foundation and Victim Support and Services of Hamilton to introduce We’ve Got You Sis, a program with a multi-disciplinary approach focusing on community outreach and capacity building to encourage disclosure from Black girls and women who have experienced sexual assault, discrimination, and/or hate incidents. The objective of the project is premised on the hypothesis that if individuals are given the opportunity and tools to work on their self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and resilience, coupled with training on self-advocacy, they will feel empowered to access support and disclose their experiences.

Toronto Metropolitan University, School of Journalism’s Canada Press Freedom Project is an initiative of J-Source, which is a website managed by Canada’s two largest post-secondary journalism programs located at Toronto Metropolitan University and Carleton University that covers media, labour, business, education, ethics, and more. CPFP’s Legal Education for Media Project will develop and produce a series of legal guides and educational tools to assist journalists, students, and researchers with a better understanding and improved navigation of press freedom rights.

Innocence Ottawa at the University of Ottawa, a student-involved innocence project that helps the wrongly convicted in Ontario who are seeking exoneration, will implement an outreach project for Indigenous people in prisons to make them aware of its services. The objective of the project is to increase the number of applications received from Indigenous individuals seeking review of their convictions.

Black Femme Legal will offer training on transmisogynoir for lawyers and legal professionals in Ontario. This project is delivered in partnership with The 519 and builds on Black Femme Legal’s transmisogynoir toolkit and pro bono clinic. This initiative will benefit legal professionals and the Black 2SLGBTQI+ community by providing legal education on the experiences at the intersection of misogyny, transphobia, and anti-Blackness. The objective is to increase the quality of legal services for members of the Black 2SLGBTQI+ community.

Partners for Planning will update and digitize Ontario's Safe and Secure workbook and develop training and resources for planning professionals. The project will also pilot a subsidized facilitation service for family networks in Ontario. With Pooran Law, the Ontario Caregivers Organization, and Community Living Ontario, this initiative will increase the confidence of people with a disability and their families to secure their futures by navigating and participating in the legal system.

Sudbury District Restorative Justice will partner with local service providers to research legal services available in the region, create a legal services process map, and provide legal system navigation to socio-economically disadvantaged youth and their families in the Greater Sudbury region. The objective of this project is to improve access to legal representation and support services for youth and their families navigating the justice system.

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind will create and deliver workshops for guide dog handlers and produce a training video for Police Services in Ontario. This project will provide guide dog handlers with information about legal recourse options in the event of discrimination, particularly access denial. Police Services will benefit from increased knowledge about provincial legislation specific to guide dogs and enforcement procedures.

Capital Rainbow Refuge in partnership with Rainbow Haven, will create a toolkit and supplementary materials to support the sponsorship application process for LGBQTIA+ sponsorship groups in Ontario. These resources will benefit sponsor groups, law students, and those providing legal guidance in the preparation of LGBTQIA+ sponsorship applications. LGBTQIA+ refugees often are imminently at risk due to laws in their home country criminalizing consensual same-sex relations, their sexual orientation. or gender identity.